Picture frame holder



Filed Sept. 1, 1950 FIG INVENTOR. Howord A Prew ATTORNEY Patented Sept.15, 1953 PICTURE FRAME HOLDER Howard A. Prew, Providence, R. I.,assignor to Pru-Lesco, Inc., a corporation of Rhode Island ApplicationSeptember 1, 1950, Serial No. 182,759

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a device for holding a picture and its framewhich is rather narrow about the picture and provides a means formounting the picture frame on the wall of a room.

Heretofore, picture frames are usually made complete and some sort of ahanger provided on the back of the frame for hanging it on a hook on thewall, or in many cases the picture frame is supported upon somehorizontal surface.

One of the objects of this invention is to enhance the ornamental effectof a picture in a narrow frame by providing a holder for the frame whichin effect increases the dimension of the frame around the picture, whileutilizing the glass or cover over the picture which already exists inthe frame.

Another object of this invention is to provide a holder for a pictureframe into which a picture frame may be easily and quickly inserted andeasily and quickly withdrawn therefrom.

Another object of this invention is to provide an arrangement so thatthe picture frame may be mounted on the wall to have the appearance ofhanging like an old fashioned frame which tilts outwardly at its upperedge from the vertical wall from which it is hung.

Another object of this invention is to provide a holder which will besufficiently resilient so that it will flex in order that the pictureframe which is inserted into it may be ejected therefrom.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, as will be more fully described andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

With reference to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the picture frame holder and pictureframe mounted therein;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the holder alone;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the picture frame and picture therein;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Figure 1 with the bottom ofthe holder flexed for ejecting the frame therefrom;

Figure 5 is a side elevation showing the picture frame holder as hungfrom a vertical wall.

In proceeding with this invention I form from thin sheet copper stockwhich is somewhat resilient a shallow tray like device the side walls ofwhich will snugly frictionally fit and hold a picture frame which isinserted thereinto. From these walls there flares outwardly a flangewhich may be made in the form of an old fashioned border with a wavyedge. The formation is sufficiently resilient so that it may be flexedto eject the picture frame which is frictionally held within its sidewalls therefrom. I raise from the stock of this holder a tab so that thesame will be spaced at its upper edge from a vertical wall on which itis hung that it may simulate the hanging of a picture frame from avertical wall by means of eyes and a wire extending between them as wasthe ancient way of holding a picture in place.

With reference to the drawings, the picture frame holder is designatedgenerally [0, and is shown by itself in Figure 2. The picture frame isdesignated II and is shown by itself in Figure 3. The picture framecomprises a narrow L shape border strip 12 with a glass l3 covering thepicture 30 which is mounted from the back in a usual manner with acovering 3| over which the rear edge M of the strip [2 is turned.

The holder in is formed from a single piece of sheet stock such ascopper or brass which is drawn without seam to the shape shown. Thisholder comprises a bottom It from which there extends at right anglesthereto a wall ll. The whole is of a resilient nature. The corners I8occur where the walls extend at right angles to each other as shown inFigure 2. A flange I9 extends forwardly and outwardly from the wall itand is bent at substantially right angles as at El! to provide a lipfrom this flange. The outer edge of this lip H is of a wavy formation tosimulate an antique frame.

The stock of the base IE is slit as at 22 (see Figure 2) to provide atab 23 which may be bent along a juncture line between the rightangularly arranged walls H and the base l6 so that it may be lifted fromthe base rearwardly and bent to the position shown in Figure 5. This tabhas an opening 24 therein to receive a hook 25 which may be mounted inthe vertical wall 26. In mounting the frame on a wall, this hook servesto suspend the picture frame holder from the wall and also to positionits outer edge from the wall so that the holder will simulate theappearance of the frame having eyes with a wire between which was an oldway of mounting a picture frame. Thus, the manner of mounting is inharmony with the antique edge provided.

The holder bottom I6 is normally flat and the back of the picture frameis also flat to lie snugly thereagainst over its entire surface whilethe wall ii snugly frictionally fits the picture frame to hold it inposition. If it is desired to remove the picture frame H and substituteanother frame and picture in the holder, it is merely necessary to fiexthe base l6 by bending the same outwardly as initially shown in Figure 4so as to raise the picture frame l2 outwardly from the side wall ll thusfreeing it from the side wall where it is frictionally held and thuspermitting it to be grasped and removed from the holder and a differentpicture may be inserted therein.

I claim:

A picture frame holder comprising a flexible resilient sheet metal basewith a rectangular surrounding wall of resilient material upstandingr atright angles thereto of a size and shape to resiliently frictionallyengage the edge of a -pic ture frame and hold the same therein and awall being of a dimension substantially the thick- 4 ness of the pictureframe and said base being sufiiciently resilient throughout the widthand length of the base to be flexed to eject the picture frame fromfrictional engagement with the walls of the holder.

HOWARD A. PREW.

References Cited in the ;fi1.0f=' thiS patent UNITED STATES PATENTSNumber Name Date 616,200 Oldenbush June 11, 1901 1,692,999 Siegel Nov.27, 1928 2,490,058? Jalblonz; Dec. 6, 19%9 2,528,366 Houston Oct. 31,1950

